Castle (in Ruins) — Cloonnagashel

Rectangular, four-storey tower (14.2m NE-SW; 10.2m NW-SE) with base batter, in rich pasture, on grounds of golf course. Portcullis ground-floor doorway at S end of SE wall; lobby (murder hole overhead) inside gives access to main chamber to NW; mural stairs to E leading to l st-floor. Main chamber contains large arched embrasures with blocked up splayed windows; two wall niches present. Mural stairs, lit by two narrow windows and twin light window at top, leads to 1st-floor doorway and spiral stairs in E corner. Doorway to 1st-floor badly damaged; lower part blocked up. Beam slots visible in NW and SE walls; roofed by well-preserved vault. NW wall contains twin light in deep embrasure; to E long mural passage gives access to garderobe; exit chute on NE face at ground-floor level. Fine ogee headed window in NE wall. Doorway in embrasure at S end of SE wall leads to long mural chamber. Spiral stairs, with murder hole overhead at wall walk level; leads to 2nd-floor. In W corner, hole gives access to windowless, secret chamber (L 5m; Wth 1.4m; H 2.3m) in SW wall. Remains of large windows in SE and SW walls. May have been a wall walk overhead. Originally a Burke stonghold, it was captured by Sir Richard Bingham in 1592 while inflicting heavy losses on the Burkes (OSL 1838, 77). The above description has been derived from D. Lavelle (compiler), An Archaeological Survey of Ballinrobe and District including Lough Mask and Lough Carra. Lough Mask and Lough Carra Tourist Development Association (1994), No. 712. Date of upload: 30 October 2013